Hi guys I’m Çağrı and I’m a second-year undergraduate studying history. I’ve enjoyed watching films and documentaries for a long time, but it was only earlier this year – particularly after watching 13th during lockdown and Life on Our Planet more recently, the two of which are now my favourite documentaries – that I had an epiphany moment and realised just how powerful film is as a medium to move people. That was when I decided I want to be a part of the process and make use of this tool, via documentary-making, to directly address contemporary issues, provoke questions and intellectually stimulate others.
Currently, I am very new to the whole production process that goes on in the making of documentaries, but I’ve got bags of enthusiasm; I’m desperate to throw myself into the process and encourage others in the society to do the same. I already had a go at producing my own documentary before term started (please message me on fb or reply here if you’d like to see it, I am yet to upload it on a public platform).
Hence, I am prepared to give a lot of my time to ensure that documentary-making is and continues to be a crucial part of UCL FilmSoc. I also think that through my past experience as leader of my local Amnesty International Youth Group, I have developed the organisational (and leadership) skills necessary to do a decent job in this role.
Some ideas that I’d bring to the table include arranging a ‘48-hour documentary challenge’ similar to the already well-established 48-hour film challenge but where a specific topic will be given for competitors to produce a documentary about instead, within 48 hours; creating an active social media group chat for fellow documentary enthusiasts, and everybody else, to give recommendations and discuss all things documentary beyond the general society screenings, as well as creating a tight-knit community. This should also allow for greater transparency between you guys and my work in the committee. I really hope to be a representative of all FilmSoc members and our mutual interests whilst also encouraging enthusiasm for topics I’m particularly passionate about – and I promise they include more than just history!
